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DOE Provides $96.4 Million to Low-Income Families for Home Weatherization

July 6, 2006 - 2:50pm

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Funding is Second Installment of $243 Million in Total Weatherization Grants for FY 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman today announced $96.4 million in weatherization program grants to 19 states to make energy efficiency improvements in homes of low-income families. Weatherization can reduce an average home's energy costs by $358 annually. Total Fiscal Year 2006 funding is $243 million and will provide weatherization to approximately 96,560 homes.

"Weatherizing your home is a valuable way to save energy and money," Secretary Bodman said. "The Department of Energy's weatherization program will help nearly 97,000 families make their homes more energy efficient."

For every dollar spent, weatherization returns $1.53 in energy savings over the life of the measures. DOE's weatherization program performs energy audits to identify the most cost-effective measures for each home, which typically includes adding insulation, reducing air infiltration, servicing heating and cooling systems, and providing health and safety diagnostic services. Other benefits of weatherization include increased housing affordability, increased property values, job creation, lower owner and renter turnover and reduced fire risks. In 2005, DOE helped weatherize more than 92,000 homes.

On average, Americans spend 3.5 percent of their income on paying energy bills, but for lower-income households the costs average 14 percent. These costs can include anything from heating and cooling their homes to running the lights, computers and other appliances that need electricity.

DOE's weatherization program grants are distributed by state energy offices through more than 900 local agencies. Every state, the District of Columbia, the Navajo Nation and the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona will receive weatherization grants this year. Awards announced today are for the 19 states that begin their weatherization year in the summer.

On April 3, 2006, Secretary Bodman announced $140.3 million in weatherization program grants to the remaining 31 states and the Navajo Nation; their weatherization year began in the first part of the year.